Nitrogen passivation of interface states in SiO2/SiC structures

ABSTRACT

A nitrided oxide layer on a silicon carbide layer is processed by annealing the nitrided oxide layer in a substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient. The anneal may be carried out at a temperature of greater than about 900° C., for example, a temperature of about 1100° C., a temperature of about 1200° C. or a temperature of about 1300° C. Annealing the nitrided oxide layer may be carried out at a pressure of less than about 1 atmosphere, for example, at a pressure of from about 0.01 to about 1 atm or, in particular, at a pressure of about 0.2 atm. The nitrided oxide layer may be an oxide layer that is grown in a N 2 O and/or NO containing ambient, that is annealed in a N 2 O and/or NO containing ambient or that is grown and annealed in a N 2 O and/or NO containing ambient.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/406,753, entitled “Nitrogen Passivation of Interface States in SiO₂/SiC Structures,” filed Aug. 30, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

The present invention was made with Government support under contract number N00014-02-C-0302 awarded by the Office of Naval Research. The Government has certain rights in this invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nitrogen passivation, also called “nitridation” is known to be an effective method for reducing the density of interface states at the SiO₂/SiC interface. Nitridation techniques, including growth and post-oxidation annealing are described in detail in U.S. patent publication no. 2002/0102358 published Aug. 1, 2002 entitled “Method Of Fabricating An Oxide Layer On A Silicon Carbide Layer Utilizing An Anneal In A Hydrogen Environment”, U.S. patent publication no. 2002/0072247 entitled “Method Of N₂O Growth Of An Oxide Layer On A Silicon Carbide Layer” filed Oct. 1, 2001, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/834,283 filed Apr. 12, 2001 entitled “Method Of N₂O Annealing An Oxide Layer On A Silicon Carbide Layer” each of which commonly is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and each of which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth fully herein.

Briefly, nitridation processes introduce nitrogen to the SiO₂/SiC interface in sufficient concentrations to passivate or neutralize at least some concentration of “traps” at the interface that would otherwise create unwanted energy states in the layers. “Traps” are localized areas within a semiconductor material that can attract or “trap” free electrical carriers. Traps may be caused by unterminated or dangling electrochemical bonds at the interface of dissimilar materials such as SiO₂ and SiC. Traps may also be produced by other types of lattice defects near the interface. Unwanted energy states may impair the electrical properties of material near the SiO₂/SiC interface and may reduce the performance of electronic devices that incorporate such interfaces, such as MOSFETs, capacitors and other devices. Traps may also impair the electrical functioning of a device by causing field termination and/or Coulomb scattering.

Local nonuniformities at the SiC surface also may result in an uneven distribution of charge near the interface. In typical SiO₂/SiC structures, the uneven distribution of charge may result in a variation in surface potential at the SiC surface having a standard deviation of around 4 kT—a significant fluctuation. In comparison, the surface potential variation in silicon may be less than 1.5 kT. Variation in surface potential may cause undesirable characteristics in electronic devices. For example, variation in surface potential may cause a MOSFET incorporating a SiO₂/SiC interface to have a higher and softer turn-on voltage than would otherwise be the case.

Although nitridation by growth and/or post-oxidation annealing using N₂O and/or NO has been shown to be successful in reducing the density of interface states (D_(IT)) in SiO₂/SiC structures while maintaining acceptable oxide strength, experimental results have shown an upper limit on the reduction of D_(IT) that can be achieved through such techniques. Although the precise reason is not known, it is believed that N₂O and NO annealing, while providing nitrogen to passivate the traps, also provides oxygen to the SiO₂/SiC interface which causes the interface to grow further into the SiC, which may create additional traps thereby offsetting the benefits of passivation.

Passivation anneals of SiO₂/SiC interfaces using ammonia (NH₃) as the annealing gas have been investigated by Chung et al. See, e.g. “Effects of anneals in ammonia on the interface trap density near the band edges in 4H-silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors,” Appl. Phys. Let., Vol. 77, No. 22, pp. 3601–03 (November 2000). Chung et al. produced 40 nm oxide layers on 4H—SiC wafers using standard wet oxidation techniques. The wafers were then annealed in NH₃ at a pressure of 1 atm for 2 hours at a temperature between 1050 and 1175° C. Chung et al. found that the interface state density near the conduction band edge was reduced. In “Passivation of the 4H—SiC/SiO₂ interface with Nitric Oxide,” Materials Science Forum Vols. 389–393, pp. 967–972 (2002), Chung et al. noted that ammonia appears to be just as effective as NO in reducing the interface state density (D_(IT)) near the conduction band edge. However, Chung et al. noted that the breakdown field strength (i.e. the dielectric strength) was found to be much lower for oxide layers passivated with NH₃.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Nitrogen passivation of interface states in SiO₂/SiC structures is performed, in some embodiments of the present invention, by annealing a silicon dioxide/silicon carbide interface that has been grown and/or nitrided in N₂O and/or NO, in an ambient comprising nitrogen and that is substantially oxygen-free. In some embodiments, the annealing gas is ammonia (NH₃). In some embodiments, a first step of nitridation is performed by growing and/or annealing the oxide layer in an atmosphere containing N₂O and/or NO. Then in a second step, the silicon carbide-oxide interface is nitrided in a substantially oxygen-free environment, in some embodiments using NH₃ as the annealing gas. The first and second nitridation steps may be performed in the same reactor, but are typically performed in different reactors.

In particular embodiments, the annealing is performed at a pressure less than atmospheric pressure and at a temperature greater than about 1000° C. but less than about 1400° C. for a time period sufficient to lower the density of interface states. Some embodiments of the invention can reduce interface state density beyond the levels reported for NO, N₂O or NH₃ nitridation alone without substantially reducing the breakdown field strength of the oxide layer. Some embodiments of the invention also can improve the uniformity of charge distribution in the oxide layer.

In further embodiments of the present invention, a nitrided oxide layer on a silicon carbide layer is processed by annealing the nitrided oxide layer in a substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient. The anneal may be carried out at a temperature of greater than about 900° C. In further embodiments, the anneal is carried out at a temperature of greater than about 1000° C., for example, a temperature of about 1100° C., a temperature of about 1200° C. or a temperature of about 1300° C.

In still further embodiments of the present invention, annealing the nitrided oxide layer in a substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient is carried out at a pressure of less than about 1 atmosphere. For example, the nitrided oxide layer may be annealed in a substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient a pressure of from about 0.01 to about 1 atm. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the nitrided oxide layer is annealed in a substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient is at a pressure of about 0.2 atm.

In yet additional embodiments of the present invention, the nitrided oxide layer is an oxide layer that is grown in a N₂O and/or NO containing ambient. In other embodiments of the present invention, the nitrided oxide layer is an oxide layer that is annealed in a N₂O and/or NO containing ambient. In yet other embodiments of the present invention, the nitrided oxide layer is an oxide layer that is grown and annealed in a N₂O and/or NO containing ambient.

In further embodiments of the present invention, the substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient is a NH₃ containing ambient. The substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient may also be NH₃ and at least one inert gas. For example, the substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient may be NH₃ and one or more of N₂, Ar, and/or He. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient includes NH₃ and N₂ in a ratio of about 1:3. Furthermore, the substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient may include NH₃ and H₂. The substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient could also include NH₃ and SiH₄. In such embodiments, the SiH₄ and NH₃ may be provided in a reaction chamber containing the nitrided oxide layer such that the SiH₄ and NH₃ are not mixed until a region of the reaction chamber proximate the nitrided oxide layer.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, a flow rate of the NH₃ is from about 1 and about 10 Standard Liters per Minute (SLM). Furthermore, the flow rate of the NH₃ may provide a gas velocity of from about 0.1 cm/sec to about 1000 cm/sec. For example, the flow rate of the NH₃ may provide a gas velocity of from about 1 cm/sec to about 100 cm/sec.

In still further embodiments of the present invention, the nitrided oxide layer is a thermally grown oxide layer and/or a deposited oxide layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating operations according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating operations according to further embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is schematic diagram of a structure that may be treated according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a reactor suitable for use in embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the profile of interface trap density (D_(IT)) versus energy level near the conduction band edge of the bandgap at the SiO₂/SiC interface for several annealing conditions;

FIG. 6 is a plot of equivalent parallel conductance (G_(P)/ω) versus frequency for two wafers;

FIG. 7 is a plot of leakage current versus field strength for an oxide processed according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the profile of interface trap density (D_(IT)) versus energy level near the conduction band edge of the bandgap at the SiO₂/SiC interface for several annealing conditions; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are plots of drain current (the open circle plot) and channel mobility (the filled circle plot) for MOSFETs fabricated using embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, region or substrate is referred to as being “on” or extending “onto” another element, it can be directly on or extend directly onto the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” or extending “directly onto” another element, there are no intervening elements present.

According to certain embodiments of the present invention, a SiC substrate on which a SiO₂ layer has been grown in a N₂O and/or NO ambient is nitrided in a substantially oxygen-free environment, for example, using NH₃ as the annealing gas. Since the annealing gas contains no oxygen, the SiO₂ layer does not continue to grow during the nitridation process. A reduction in interface state density (D_(IT)) may thereby be obtained without adversely affecting the breakdown field strength of the oxide.

According to additional embodiments of the present invention, a SiO₂ layer is grown on a SiC layer using conventional thermal oxide and/or other growth techniques. Then, nitridation using conventional N₂O or NO annealing gas is performed according to conventional techniques. Then, the SiO₂/SiC interface is nitrided in a substantially oxygen-free environment, in some embodiments using NH₃ as the annealing gas.

As used herein, a substantially oxygen-free environment refers to an environment where an oxygen-containing source gas is not intentionally introduced into a reaction chamber. Thus, the term “substantially oxygen-free” is used to refer to an environment or process that does not intentionally introduce oxygen, although some oxygen may be present.

In particular embodiments, the substantially oxygen-free nitridation, for example, using an NH₃ anneal, may be performed at a temperature greater than about 900° C. and in other embodiments at least about 1000° C. In some embodiments, the substantially oxygen-free nitridation anneal is performed at a pressure of 1 atm or less, and in other embodiments at a pressure of about 0.2 atm.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 that are flowcharts illustrating operations according to particular embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, certain embodiments of the present invention utilize a substantially oxygen-free nitridation anneal of an oxide layer to reduce interface state densities at the silicon dioxide/silicon carbide boundary.

Turning to FIG. 1, in block 50 a silicon carbide layer is provided. The silicon carbide layer may comprise a silicon carbide substrate or a silicon carbide epitaxial layer on a substrate. The substrate may be silicon carbide or may be some other material, for example, silicon. In block 52, an oxide layer is provided on the silicon carbide layer. The oxide layer may be grown using conventional wet and/or dry oxidation techniques and/or deposited using CVD techniques, all of which are well known in the art. In block 54, the silicon dioxide/silicon carbide interface is subjected to a post-oxidation anneal in N₂O and/or NO to nitridate the interface. Such an anneal may be carried out as described, for example, in the United States Patent Applications referenced herein. In block 56, the oxide layer on the silicon carbide layer is annealed in an ambient containing nitrogen and substantially no oxygen. The anneal may be carried out at a temperature greater than 900° C. and, in some embodiments, in excess of about 1000° C. for a time sufficient to reduce the interface state density of the silicon dioxide/silicon carbide interface. In some embodiments, the ambient contains NH₃.

Other embodiments of the invention are illustrated in FIG. 2 in which a SiC layer is provided in block 60. The silicon carbide layer may be a silicon carbide layer as described above with reference to FIG. 1. In block 62, a nitrided oxide layer is grown on the SiC layer. The nitrided oxide layer may be grown in a N₂O and/or a NO ambient. N₂O and/or NO oxide growth may be carried out, for example, as described in the United States Patent Applications referenced herein. In block 64, the silicon dioxide/silicon carbide interface is annealed in an ambient containing nitrogen and substantially no oxygen. The anneal may be carried out at a temperature greater than 900° C. and in some embodiments in excess of about 1000° C. for a time sufficient to reduce the interface state density of the silicon dioxide/silicon carbide interface. In some embodiments, the ambient contains NH₃.

An exemplary structure 1 which may be treated in accordance with embodiments of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 3, which shows a substrate 10 on which an oxide layer 12 comprising SiO₂ has been grown using conventional techniques. Substrate 10 may comprise a silicon carbide substrate 6, a silicon carbide epitaxial layer 8 on a silicon carbide substrate 6, or a silicon carbide epitaxial layer 8 on a non-silicon carbide substrate 6. Structure 1 may be a precursor for the production of various electronic devices, such as MOSFETs, capacitors, and other devices utilizing SiO₂ layers on silicon carbide. As discussed above, imperfections and incomplete bonding at the interface 14 between the silicon carbide substrate 10 and the oxide layer 12 can cause “traps” in the structure which may give rise to unwanted electrical states. The density of such unwanted states, D_(IT), may be reduced by passivating (or neutralizing) the traps present in the interface 14.

A schematic illustration of a reactor 20 suitable for use in embodiments of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 4. As seen in FIG. 4, the reactor 20 includes a chamber 22 in which a susceptor 26 is provided for supporting the substrate 10. An RF induction coil 24 surrounds the chamber 22 and provides RF energy for heating the susceptor 26. Heating may also be accomplished with a resistive heating element. Annealing gas is provided to the chamber through the gas inlets 32A, 32B. Gas is removed from the reactor through a gas outlet 34. The pressure within the chamber 22 is regulated by a vacuum pump 35 and a throttle valve 36. The flow of gas into the reaction chamber 22 is controlled by the mass flow controllers 30A and 30B. In some embodiments, the reactor 20 is capable of producing substrate temperatures in excess of about 1000° C. within the reaction chamber 22.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a silicon carbide substrate 10 is provided on which an oxide layer 12 comprising SiO₂ has been grown. The substrate 10 is placed on a susceptor 26 in the reaction chamber 22. The pressure of the reaction chamber is pumped down to about 1 atmosphere or lower. An annealing gas containing nitrogen but not oxygen is introduced to the chamber 22 through gas inlet 32A or 32B, while the pressure in the chamber 22 is maintained below about 1 atm, in some embodiments between about 0.01 and 1 atm, and in other embodiments at about 0.2 atm. In some embodiments, the annealing gas comprises NH₃. The NH₃ anneal may be performed using an inert carrier gas such as N₂, Ar, and/or He or no carrier gas. An inert gas may be used rather than a gas such as H₂ that could accelerate a reduction of the thickness of the oxide layer through the formation and removal of gases such as SiH₄. Nitrogen may be used in some embodiments as a carrier gas primarily due to its low cost and availability. Preferably, the ratio of NH₃ to N₂ is about 1:3. In addition, in some embodiments, small amounts of H₂, may be present in the chamber 22.

Additionally, SiH₄ gas may be flowed through, for example, gas inlet 32A so as to reduce and/or limit thickness reduction, eliminate thickness reduction, or even grow additional SiO_(x)N_(y) and/or SiN_(z) if desired. In some embodiments, the SiH₄ and NH₃ are not mixed until they are near the substrate 10 to prevent pre-reactions. Thus, for example, SiH₄ may be provided through gas inlet 32A and NH₃ provided through gas inlet 32B where the gas inlets 32A and 32B are configured to not mix the gases introduced into the chamber 22 until the gases are near the substrate 10. In some embodiments, annealing is performed at a higher temperature and at reduced pressure for stable flow conditions. The annealing system design may be typical of that used for the epitaxial growth of Group III-nitrides. Although typical and specific ranges are provided in this description, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the exact annealing conditions may vary depending on the system geometry of the reactor and, therefore, may be optimized for a given system geometry. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention should not be limited to the typical and/or specific process values, parameters and ranges herein.

The NH₃ flow rate is dependent upon the particular equipment used, however, in particular embodiments the flow rate is maintained at between about 1 and about 10 Standard Liters per Minute (SLM) during the annealing process. For particular systems, gas velocities as low as about 0.1 cm/sec or as high as about 1000 cm/sec may be suitable, although gas velocities of about 1 cm/sec to about 100 cm/sec also may be used.

The reaction chamber 22 is then heated to a temperature in excess of about 900° C. and, in particular embodiments, in excess of about 1000° C. but less than about 1400° C. to reduce or prevent damage to the oxide layer 12 and maintained at a predetermined temperature profile in excess of about 900° C. and, in particular embodiments, in excess of about 1000° C. In some embodiments, the temperature of the chamber 22 is maintained at about 1000° C. to about 1300° C. during the anneal. The anneal may be carried out for about 30 minutes. However, anneals of from about 5 minutes to about 5 hours or longer may be utilized. The reaction chamber 22 is then allowed to cool to room temperature, and the substrate 10 is removed from the chamber 22. In some embodiments of the present invention, the duration of heat up and/or cool down is included in the anneal time. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, the anneal time is the time at which the oxide layer 12 is at a temperature in excess of about 1000° C. in a nitrogen containing oxygen-free ambient.

In some embodiments, the oxide layer 12 is nitrided using N₂O or NO prior to annealing in an oxygen-free ambient. Nitridation of the oxide layer may be accomplished by growth in an N₂O and/or NO environment and/or post-growth anneal in an N₂O and/or NO environment as described in U.S. patent publication 2002/0102358 referenced above.

NO growth and/or annealing as described above may be utilized alone or in combination with N₂O growth and/or annealing. If the nitrided oxide layer is provided by growth and/or annealing in an N₂O environment, such growth and/or annealing may be carried out at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined flow rate as described herein.

For N₂O annealing, the oxide may be annealed using a predetermined temperature profile which includes an anneal temperature of greater than about 1100° C. in a chamber in which N₂O is supplied at a flow rate profile within predetermined flow rate limits. The temperature of the anneal is about 1175° C. or higher in some embodiments and about 1300° C. may be utilized in other embodiments. The flow rate limits of N₂O may be selected based on the particular equipment in which the process is used. However, in particular embodiments the flow rate limits of N₂O may be as low as about 2 Standard Liters per Minute (SLM) or as high as about 8 SLM. In further embodiments, flow rate limits of from about 3 to about 5 SLM may be used. For particular furnaces, gas velocities as low as about 0.37 cm/sec or as high as about 1.46 cm/sec or velocities of from about 0.55 cm/s to about 0.95 cm/s may be suitable. The N₂O and/or NO anneal may be carried out for about 3 hours, however, anneals of from about 30 minutes to about 6 hours may also be utilized although shorter or longer times may also be utilized.

For N₂O growth, the SiC substrate 10 may be oxidized using a predetermined temperature profile which includes an oxidation temperature of greater than about 1200° C. in a chamber in which N₂O is supplied at a flow rate profile within predetermined flow rate limits. The temperature of the oxidation may be greater than 1200° C., for example, about 1300° C. The flow rate limits of N₂O may be selected based on the particular equipment in which the process is used. However, in particular embodiments, the flow rate limits of N₂O may be as low as about 2 Standard Liters per Minute (SLM) or as high as about 6 SLM or higher. In further embodiments, flow rate limits of from about 3.5 SLM to about 4 SLM may be preferred. Thus, for a particular apparatus, gas velocities as low as about 0.37 cm/sec or as high as about 1.11 cm/sec may be utilized in some embodiments, while velocities of from about 0.65 cm/s to about 0.74 cm/s may be used in other embodiments. The N₂O oxidation may be carried out for an amount of time dependent on the desired thickness of the oxide layer. For example, oxidation times of about 3 hours or greater may be utilized. As used herein, N₂O refers to pure N₂O or N₂O in combination with other oxidizing agents, such as steam, O₂, and/or inert gases.

Oxidation in an NO and/or N₂O environment and/or anneals in an NO and/or N₂O environment may be followed by an optional anneal in inert gas or gases, such as argon, hydrogen, and/or N₂ or combinations thereof with other gases. Such an anneal may be carried out for about 30 minutes, however, anneals of up to about 3 hours or longer may also be utilized. Such a post nitridation anneal in hydrogen may be carried out as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/045,542, filed Oct. 26, 2001, entitled “METHOD OF FABRICATING AN OXIDE LAYER ON A SILICON CARBIDE LAYER UTILIZING AN ANNEAL IN A HYDROGEN ENVIRONMENT”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in its entirety.

EXAMPLES

The following examples and experimental results shall be regarded as merely illustrative and shall not be construed as limiting the invention. In a first experiment, 450 Å thick layers of SiO₂ were formed on 4H—SiC n-type wafers manufactured by Cree, Inc. by conventional dry oxidation techniques, including re-oxidation according to the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,801 issued Oct. 26, 1999 which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein. The SiO₂/SiC interfaces were then nitrided according to the process described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/834,283 filed Apr. 12, 2001 entitled “Method Of N₂O Annealing An Oxide Layer On A Silicon Carbide Layer” referenced above. Specifically, the interface was annealed in a furnace tube at 1300° C. for 3 hours under an N₂O flow rate of 4 SLM. Subsequently, the wafers were removed from the tube furnace.

NH₃ annealing was performed in an annealing chamber capable of being vacuum-pressurized. (For comparison purposes, one wafer was not subjected to N₂O anneal, and one of the N₂O-annealed wafers was excluded from the NH₃ anneal.)

The annealing chamber was vacuum-pressurized to 0.2 atm and NH₃ was introduced to the chamber at a rate of 6 SLM. The temperature of the chamber was elevated to 900° C. and a wafer was annealed. The process was repeated using NH₃ anneal temperatures of 1000, 1100 and 1200° C. with anneal times ranging from 30–60 minutes.

Aluminum dots were deposited on the oxide layers to form metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOS-C) from which the following measurements were taken.

FIG. 5 illustrates the profile of interface trap density (D_(IT)) versus energy level near the conduction band edge of the bandgap at the SiO₂/SiC interface for several annealing conditions. D_(IT) may be measured using any technique known to those of skill in the art. In this case, the results were obtained using the conductance technique which is well established as a sensitive and accurate measurement of interface state density on MOS structures because it is a direct measurement of signal loss due to trapping and detrapping of interface states.

As shown in FIG. 5, D_(IT) varies exponentially near the band edge. Accordingly, it is common practice to quote D_(IT) values at 0.2 eV from the conduction band (E_(C)−E=0.2 eV) as this point coincides with flatband conditions where the conductance technique begins to lose its accuracy. As illustrated in FIG. 5 the Dry Oxide+N₂O annealed interface yielded a D_(IT) value of approximately 6E11 eV⁻¹ cm⁻² at E_(C)−E=0.2 eV which is comparable to the current state of the art for N₂O and NO nitridation techniques. Following the N₂O anneal with an NH₃ anneal at a temperature of up to 900° C. did not show significant improvement to the interface state density. At NH₃ anneal temperatures above 900° C., significant reduction of the D_(IT) occurred. A minimum D_(IT) value of approximately 2.3E1 eV⁻¹ cm⁻² was obtained for the Dry Oxide+N₂O+1200° C. NH₃ annealed interface. As a comparison, a D_(IT) of about 1E12 eV⁻¹ cm⁻² was measured on a Dry Oxide+1100° C. NH₃ annealed interface.

FIG. 6 is a plot of equivalent parallel conductance (G_(P)/ω) versus frequency for two wafers processed as described above. Both wafers included oxide layers thermally grown using the dry oxide technique, and both wafers were nitrided using an N₂O anneal as described above. One wafer was annealed in NH₃ at 1000° C., while the other was annealed in NH₃ at 1100° C.

The peak of the Gaussian curve of equivalent parallel conductance is proportional to D_(IT) while the width provides a measure of the standard deviation (σ) of surface potential fluctuation. As discussed above, the surface potential fluctuates due to local non-uniformities in the oxide and at the interface. This causes the conductance-frequency curve to become wider as adjacent energy levels begin to respond to the signal. Typically, such measurements have yielded very broad curves with σ=3−4 for SiC MOS-C as is the case with the Dry+N₂O+1000° C. NH₃ annealed curve. The Dry+N₂O+1100° C. NH₃ annealed interface shows a much tighter distribution (σ=1) indicating that this structure has greater charge homogeneity.

One potential drawback of nitridation via NH₃ of an oxide that has not previously been nitrided has been the reduced dielectric strength of the oxide layer as noted by Chung et al. Thermally grown silicon dioxide typically has a breakdown field of about 10 MV/cm. Breakdown fields of about 4–5 MV/cm have been observed for NH₃ annealed oxides. FIG. 7 shows that the Dry+N₂O+1200 NH₃ oxide follows a classical Fowler-Nordheim (straight line) characteristic before breaking down at an oxide field of about 9.5 MV/cm, indicating that embodiments of the invention need not deteriorate the dielectric strength of the oxide layer.

FIG. 8 is a further the profile of interface trap density (D_(IT)) versus energy level near the conduction band edge of the bandgap at the SiO₂/SiC interface for several annealing conditions. In particular, FIG. 8 illustrates D_(IT) values for a dry oxide 800, for Dry+N₂O 802, for Dry+N₂O+1100 NH₃ 804 and for Dry+N₂O+1300 NH₃ 804. As seen in FIG. 8, a D_(IT) value of 1.86E11 eV⁻¹ cm⁻² was achieved with a 1300° C. NH₃ anneal.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate channel mobility (solid circles) and drain current (open circles) for MOSFETs incorporating gate oxides fabricated according to embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 9 illustrates a dry oxide with a 1300° C. N₂O anneal and a 1300° C. NH₃ anneal. For the device of FIG. 9, a threshold voltage V_(T) of 2 V and a μ=50 cm²/V-s were provided. FIG. 10 illustrates a low temperature oxide (LTO) with a 1300° C. N₂O anneal and a 1300° C. NH₃ anneal. For the device of FIG. 10, a threshold voltage V_(T) of 0.6 V and a μ=73 cm²/V-s were provided. Incorporation of the 1300° C. NH₃ anneal has doubled and tripled the channel mobility in thermal and deposited oxide MOSFETs, respectively.

A 1300° C. NH₃ anneal following an anneal in NO may provide even further improvements over the 1300° C. NH₃ anneal following an N₂O anneal.

In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed embodiments of the invention, and, although specific terms have been employed, they have been used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. 

1. A method of processing a nitrided oxide layer on a silicon carbide layer, the method comprising: annealing the nitrided oxide layer in a substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient, wherein the substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient comprises a NH₃ containing ambient, wherein the substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient comprises NH₃ and SiH₄.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the SiH₄ and NH₃ are provided in a reaction chamber containing the nitrided oxide layer such that the SiH₄ and NH₃ are not mixed until a region of the reaction chamber proximate the nitrided oxide layer.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the nitrided oxide layer comprises a thermally grown oxide layer.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the nitrided oxide layer comprises a deposited oxide layer.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein annealing the nitrided oxide layer in a substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient comprises annealing the nitrided oxide layer in a substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient at a temperature of greater than about 1000° C. and at a pressure of less than 1 atmosphere.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein annealing the nitrided oxide layer in a substantially oxygen-free nitrogen containing ambient is carried out at a temperature of about 1300° C. 